Butterfly
by maia.maiestas
Summary: At a company party, Hermione is feeling a little cornered. Luckily she has a knight in shining armour, but it's not really a knight she was expecting. How will she reward his courage? WARNING: smut


**Butterfly**

You'd think that it would be wonderful to have guys stare you after a lifetime of being ignored. To have guys drool, wink and come on to you. And it was to begin with. She enjoyed it immensely. She flirted and teased, but soon it got old. She found that what she really wanted was to be left alone. All of these shallow engagements gave her only a short-lived satisfaction. Sitting in a dark corner, trying to ignore all the other people, trying to concentrate and think through the loud music, Hermione Granger was hiding.

It was the annual masquerade at St. Mungo's Hospital, Hermione's new workplace, and she had chosen the most beautiful, almost see-through, light blue dress, which flowed sensually whenever she moved. It reached her mid thigh. On her feet she was wearing a pair of baby pink ballerinas with satin ribbons lacing up her calves. On her back she had a pair of dark blue butterfly wings. But, to her, the most beautiful part of her costume was the mask. It was very nicely fitted with ornate blue, pink and gold swirls. It was small compared to a lot of the other masks in the room but she absolutely loved it. And, apparently, the guys absolutely loved her. Or at least her outfit. Normally she wasn't this sought after.

She groaned aloud when another one came sauntering towards her. He didn't seem to notice her dismay, he simply grinned in what was probably a seductive manner but all it did for her was to annoy her beyond belief. He was just about to slip into the seat next to her, when a tall, looming figure stepped in front of him.

"Miss Granger," a said the newcomer in a strangely familiar voice, "would you be so kind as to assist me?"

Hermione's eyes narrowed as she took in the sight of the man in front of her. He was tall, probably more than a head taller than her. He was wearing a black and silver mask that covered his upper face and his nose. The mask greatly accentuated his stormy grey eyes and platinum blonde hair. His lips were neither plumb nor thin but somewhere in the middle, and his complexion was fairer than fair. It all looked familiar, but the darkness obscured her view and the music clouded her thoughts. He held out a hand towards her, and with one look at the other guy waiting for the stranger to get out of his way, she quickly took at and led him lead her away.

His hand was strong around hers, his grip firm yet comforting, and his arm had somehow managed to make its way around her waist. He led her outside into the fresh, spring air. As soon as the door closed behind them she wretched herself from his grasp and gave him a shaky, apologetic smile.

"How may I help you?" she asked him as politely as she possibly could. Truth be told, now that she was out in the crisp air, all she really wanted to do was go home and curl up in her bed.

The stranger laughed, a dark husky laugh, and then pulled off his mask.

"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed and then felt rather foolish. She looked away from his face, hoping to hide the blush that crept into her cheeks.

"Seriously Granger!" Draco Malfoy laughed again. "You didn't know it was me?"

"Absolutely not!" she said a little indignantly. "If I'd known I wouldn't have gone with you."

As soon as the words left her mouth she felt ashamed and slammed her hands over her mouth.

"Sorry," she whispered. "Can't you just tell me what you need my help for so I can go home?"

Instantly Draco's expression grew grim; his eyes narrowed into slits and his jaw tightened.

"I had hoped we were beyond these petty things by now," he said rather harshly, every word jabbing at Hermione's conscience. "You know, I just saved you from that wretched party, and this is how you repay me?"

If there was one thing Hermione Granger hated, it was being thought of as someone who needed saving. She went straight from troubled to mad in a matter of seconds.

"Saved me?" she hissed at him. "Excuse me, but I don't need any saving!"

"Oh, really?" he countered, his words laced with sarcasm. "You sure looked like you needed to be saved in there! And you even looked grateful until you realised who I was!"

Hermione felt her herself faced by an argument she couldn't dispute. The words dried up in her mouth and she quickly closed it in order not to seem dumb or something like that. Draco smiled smugly, knowing that he had finally rendered the great Hermione Granger speechless.

A few moments passed by in an awkward silence before Draco finally said, "Aren't you going to thank me for being your knight in shining armour?"

It wasn't until now that Hermione noticed his attire, which was a modern version of a medieval knight's armour. Looking back at his face she saw that he was sporting a wide grin. Yeah, he was definitely enjoying the bad pun.

Through clenched teeth she ironically said, "That you, oh, noble knight."

His grin widened, if that was even possible, and with an exaggerated bow replied, "Always at your service, oh fair butterfly."

His ridiculous posture and the entire situation suddenly caught up with Hermione and she couldn't suppress a laugh. Not before long she was laughing uncontrollably and Draco had joined her. Gasping for breath the laughing wore off at last. The silence reappeared, but this time it wasn't awkward. This time it was curious. Their eyes met and suddenly the music didn't sound so loud anymore, the wind didn't seem quite so cold and the darkness wasn't all that impenetrable. Hermione swallowed a curious lump in her throat, her mouth was suddenly dry and for some reason her legs were buckling. Draco took a step closer to her, his eyes shiny and fixed intently upon hers. He reached out and touched her upper arm, and she shivered.

"Are you cold?" he asked in a strangely husky voice.

Dumbstruck, she nodded. Draco shrugged off the scarlet robe cloak we was wearing and carefully wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Thank you," she whispered, surprised at just how much she actually meant those two small words. He gave her a weak smile and a nod in reply. Taking a deep breath, Hermione realised just how nice Draco smelt. His smell was all over his cape; it was a mixture of lemons and spice.

Suddenly Draco cleared his voice, making Hermione fly back into the moment. He offered her his arm once more and said, "Would you like me to escort you home?"

Without any hesitation Hermione rested her hand in the crook of his elbow and nodded. He sent her dazzling smile and together they started walking away from the noise. The night surrounding them was quiet except from the tapping of their shoes against the pavement and the deafening beating of their hearts. Hermione stole a sideway glance at the man she had hated for so long. She wasn't sure how to feel about him now; she only new that hate was far from she was feeling towards him at this moment. As if sensing her eyes on him, Draco cast a long glance down upon her, accompanied by a brilliant, sincere smile. She instantly smiled back, completely unable to resist him. Too soon they were standing in front of her door.

"Well…" Draco said slowly, turning to face Hermione.

"Well," Hermione repeated shyly. "Well, this is me."

"I know," Draco said with a smile.

"Right," Hermione laughed, feeling silly and awkward. She looked up at him, at his grey eyes and rugged, blonde hair and his handsome face. The sight stole her breath away. It numbed her. She was frozen; unable to move. Not even when Draco leaned down towards her could she do anything. When his lips touched hers for the very first time, she could only sigh in pleasure.

Her sound of approval spurred Draco to go further. Never letting his lips leave hers, he took a step closer to her and wound his arms around her back, pulling her flush against him. She made no attempt to resist him; instead she placed her slender hands on his chest and sighed once more. Draco felt his head spin and his senses dimmed. All he could focus on was the divine feeling of having Hermione Granger kissing him back.

Once the kiss ended, Draco pulled back a little to look at the face he had come to adore. Her lips were slightly puffy and her cheeks were red with excitement. It was truly the most adorable sight he's seen in a long time. He reached out to stroke her flaming cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned into the touch. This time, when Draco went to kiss her, he didn't hold anything back. He let his crash down upon hers. He wanted to let her know about his passion, his need, his desire. She responded instantly, opening her mouth to allow him access, drawing him closer still with her hands wrapped in his shirt.

Somehow they ended up inside her home. How she'd manage to open the door and manoeuvring him inside without him noticing it he had to clue. But he sure was happy that she had done it. he wasted no time in picking her up from the floor, bridal style.

"Bedroom?" he puffed against her lips.

"Straight ahead," came her breathy answer.

Draco walking in the appointed direction, soon finding the bedroom door. He didn't stop to take a look around; the decor of the room didn't matter right now. Now, all that mattered was the beauty in his arms. The beauty who was all his. Gently he laid her down on the bed, taking only a few seconds to admire her before he joined her, once again covering her lips with his own. Her hands were quick as they slide up under his shirt, pulling it off him in one, smooth motion, laying his chest bare to her hungry, roaming fingers. He'd never expected her to be this forward, this eager. But he sure wasn't disappointed.

She wasn't alone in being eager. He'd wanted this for so long. Longer than he really cared to admit. It didn't take him long to pull her dress over her head along with her wings. The shoes were a little more complicated, but when Hermione decided to remove them herself, they were quickly discarded as well. While she was removing the shoes, Draco had gotten to work on his pants, pulling them off his legs just as Hermione threw away the second shoe. Then they were both naked.

It was as if they suddenly sobered up. Suddenly the meaning of the situation became clear to them. They stood there in front of each other, completely naked, taking in the intoxicating sight of one another. The hunger had all of a sudden been replaced by a strange tenderness. Timidly, Hermione reached out and ran a hand over Draco's chest. He shivered in delight. She smiled fondly at him.

"I want you," she whispered huskily.

The words struck a chord deep within Draco. He fell to his knees in front of her, burying his head against her stomach, winding his arms around her slim waist. Her small hands came to rest upon his head.

"I love you," he whispered and kissed her navel. He didn't know if it was his words or the kiss that made her gasp, but he didn't let it worry him. Instead he kissed a trail down towards her heat, her centre. When he reached it he found it hot and wet; aroused. Slowly he let his tongue run between her moist folds. She trembled almost violently, her fingers lacing through his hair and her nails digging into his scalp. He repeated the motion, earning himself a hushed moan. The third time he let his tongue settle on the small bundle of nerves, licking and flicking only her most tender spot. Not before long she was trembling uncontrollably. When she couldn't stand anymore, Draco gently pushed her back upon the bed.

He climbed up her body, settling himself between her legs. While looking deep into her chocolaty depths, he thrust into her heat. She gasped. Slowly he withdrew only to piston himself back into her. Her gasp quickly turned into a raspy moan. He did it again with the same result as before. But the pleasure was soon too overwhelming; he wasn't able to keep his slow tempo. He sped up, thrusting deep and hard into her, pushing her deep into the mattress. She took every thrust willingly, enthusiastically. Suddenly she threw her arms around his neck, arched her back and her walls started to clamp down around him. With a little scream she came, taking him with her over the edge.

Afterwards they lay sweating in each other's arms, still joined.

The silence wasn't long settled before Hermione asked, "You really love me?"

"Yes."

"Why? When? How come?"

He sensed another string of questions coming, but he silenced her with a kiss.

"You're always asking questions," he said with a smile. "Why don't you just accept the fact for once, instead of questioning it?"

She considered this for a little while before answering, "I can't do that. It'd against my nature, you know. But for now, I'm happy with just this. Just the fact. Tomorrow you can answer."

"Tomorrow?" Draco laughed. "So soon?"

"Yes, tomorrow." Hermione answered with a sly, seductive smile. "Which gives you all night to love me again and again and again."

And so he did.

_**A very delayed response to a request I received from Parvati48. I hope you like it!**_

_**I hope to update my story 'Across the Differences' in the near future, and I also hope to make some of the other requests I have lying waiting for me.**_

_**As always, review your hearts out, my dear readers!**_

_**And yes, I still take requests, that is, if you can wait for me to make it!**_


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